Benefits of Black Grapes in Weight Loss

by
MARIE DANNIE Last Updated: Jun 25, 2015

Marie Dannie

Marie Dannie has been a professional journalist since 1991, specializing in nutrition and health topics. She has written for "Woman’s Own," the "Daily Mail," the "Daily Mirror" and the "Telegraph." She is a registered nutritionist and holds a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in food science from the University of Nottingham.

Black grapes, also sometimes known as Concord grapes or slipskin grapes, are sold fresh or made into fresh juice, jams or jellies. They are rich in a number of nutrients, including natural antioxidants, and can be part of a healthy diet that reduces the number of calories you consume, helping you lose weight.

Calorie Content

Fresh black grapes are low in calories, with a 1-cup serving containing only 62 calories and less than 1/2 gram of total fat. While you can eat the grapes whole and raw, making a fresh juice from them by blending 1 cup of grapes with 1/2 cup of fresh water will give you 1 cup of fresh juice that is lower in calories than a commercially produced grape juice, even if unsweetened. One cup of commercial grape juice has 152 calories per serving and also less than 1/2 gram of total fat. Substituting whole grapes or fresh grape juice for a 12-ounce can of grape soda once a week can reduce your caloric intake by over 5,000 calories, or roughly 1.5 pounds of body weight, in the space of one year.

Dietary Fiber Content

Black grapes are a good source of dietary fiber, which gives bulk to your diet, helping you eat less.Dietary fiber can also help reduce the symptoms of constipation as well as lower your blood cholesterol levels. A serving of black grapes has 0.8 gram of dietary fiber, a high amount for the small serving size. This provides 2 to 3 percent of the recommended dietary intake and can help you meet the daily recommendation, which is important as most Americans have a diet that is too low in fiber.

Sugar Content

Black grapes are naturally sweet, with almost 15 grams per cup. The American Heart Association recommends you choose natural sugars, such as those found in grapes, over added sugars because natural sugars have greater nutritive impact. Because of their natural sweetness, you can use grapes as a healthy way to satisfy a sweet tooth or sugar craving. In addition to eating them fresh, you can also freeze grapes and eat them as a refreshing, low-calorie and sweet dessert, substituting them for other foods, such as ice cream or cake, that are often high in added sugar.

Antioxidants and Fruit Intake

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends eating between 1 1/2 and 2 cups of fruit each day as part of a balanced diet, which is important for healthy weight loss. Black grapes are also a rich source of the natural antioxidant resveratrol, a type of flavonoid. In 2011, the "Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences" published a report that stated that diets high in resveratrol led to overall reduced body fat levels as well as a decrease in overall weight gain.

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